Department of Audiology, Speech-Language Pathology and Deaf Studies

Deaf Studies

American Sign Language Screening / Credit for Prior Learning Test

The Department of Audiology, Speech-Language Pathology, and Deaf Studies at Towson University offers two ways for students to be placed into an ASL class beyond ASL 1.

For students with college credit on a transcript: Please call 410-704-4153 to schedule an appointment to be screened into the appropriate level of ASL class. There is no charge for this screening.

For students with knowledge of ASL from high school, continuing education, or community involvement, but no college credits on a transcript: There is a fee of $100 per class challenged. Paperwork must be completed with Programs for Non-Traditional Students, room 231, Enrollment Services Building prior to taking the test. After the test is completed, there will be a fee of $30 per credit for the credits to be posted on your transcript. Each course is worth three credits, so there will be a fee of $90 for each test passed and each course posted to your transcript. Students will be billed for both the screening and the credits after the screening.

Students practice ASL in class

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What does the test cover? The test includes vocabulary and grammar from the following:

ASL 1: Signing Naturally, level 1, units 1-6

ASL 2: Signing Naturally, level 1, units 7-12

ASL 3: Signing Naturally, level 2, units 13-17

ASL 4: Signing Naturally, level 3: units 18-20

ASL 5: Signing Naturally, level 3: units 21-25

What is the format of the test?

The screenings for each level requires about 20 minutes, so you should schedule the appropriate amount of time. you will be “interacting with” a video. A Deaf person will sign a series of questions in ASL (no voice), and you are expected to respond with answers in ASL (no voice). Each question is signed twice. An evaluator will observe you signing your responses, and rate you on your comprehension, sign production, and non-manual grammatical aspects of ASL. There is adequate time to sign your responses between test items. You are asked to answer questions in complete and grammatically correct ASL responses (more than “yes” or “no”). Some of the items require creative answers – for example, if the signer asks “What is the price of tea in China?” and you do not know, you can make up the answer (“Tea in China costs 700 yen per pound.”).

What is “passing?”

Students in the Deaf Studies major must earn a grade of “B” or better to complete the requirements for each ASL class. Because Towson University uses the “plus/minus” grading system, a grade of “B” is 83%.

Students should schedule a short appointment with Dr. Cooper to determine if it’s worth your time and money to take the screening, and to obtain the necessary signature to register for the screening.